Inaugurated in 1976, the Pinhal Golf Course was the second golf course built in Vilamoura and is originally designed by Frank Pennink. Later, in 1985, it was partly redesigned by the North-American Robert Trent Jones, who introduced new challenges into the Pinhal golf course, Algarve.

Great variety of challenges

Trent Jones’ work has given the Oceanico Pinhal Golf Course a great variety of holes as he brought together two completely different architectural concepts, British and American. As a result, the golfer is confronted by very different kinds of play. Built in the middle of a beautiful pine wood, with panoramic views over the sea, one of the main characteristics of the Pinhal Golf Course is the small size of its greens, requiring great precision from the golfer in terms of approach shots.Pinhal Golf Course Vilamoura, in the Algarve, Portugal, is typified by rolling parkland terrain covered with numerous pines lining along the fairways.

Pinhal allows risk

Hole Nr. 17 of Pinhal Golf Vilamoura, 496 m. for a Par 5 from a championship tee, offers players the chance of a birdie, or even an eagle for golfers who risk driving off over the out-of-bounds zone to the right, thereby drastically cutting through the fairway accentuated dog-leg.

Ponds and a stream come into play on five holes of Oceanico Pinhal Golf Course but are not serious threats to above-average golfers. To keep up with modern technical advances in clubs and balls, several holes have recently been lengthened. The Par -72, now measures 6,353 metres off the white markers.